Konami nixes Six Days in Fallujah

Iraq War 'game-amentary' dishonorably discharged

Konami is backing away from its plans to release a video game that was to authentically depict the Second Battle of Fallujah after receiving numerous protests from retired US troops, their families and citizens' groups.

The game publisher told the Asahi Shimbun today it's canceling plans to publish Six Days in Fallujah, a "documentary-style" game announced earlier this month and made by Atomic games.

"After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it," Konami reportedly said. "We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there."

Six Days was supposedly being developed as a "game-amentary" that accurately depicts complex issues of war as seen through the eyes of ground troops in the bloody November 2004 street battle between joint US and Iraqi soldiers and insurgents that left more than 2,000 people, including civilians, dead. According to the Wall Street Journal's earlier coverage of the game, Atomic's team had tapped more than three dozen soldiers who were in Fallujah to lend details and their personal stories to the game.

The controversy was given an extra stir when it was revealed that insurgents that fought troops during the battle were consulted was well.

Atomic Games specializes in war-related video games, and is best known as the creator of the Close Combat series. Six Days was planned to be released in 2010. The game maker hasn't announced if it plans on finding another publisher. ®